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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: current · fine · drill · ball · degree · safe · bat · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fine — high quality
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fine — all right
  19. ball — a dance
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — of water
  22. pitch — completely
  23. current — happening now
  24. drill — army training

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