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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: chest · safe · mark · track · pitch · fork · tear · chip

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. track — a song
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitch — completely
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chest — a box
  14. track — a path
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. safe — out of danger

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