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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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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: safe · last · cap · mine · court · degree · row · pitch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. court — of law
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cap — of ice
  5. row — a line
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. row — to paddle
  9. court — of a king
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — a hat
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — for sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — from a university
  21. last — final
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mine — for digging

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