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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: race · safe · board · pitch · cold · jam · land · temple

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pitch — completely
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. board — to get on
  6. race — a contest
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. race — the arms race
  10. land — to come down
  11. race — humankind
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cold — an illness
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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