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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · tear · fine · court · mate · bowl · chest · pitch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chest — a box
  3. fine — all right
  4. chest — of your body
  5. court — for sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — of law
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. court — of a king
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitch — completely
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com