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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · safe · bat · snap · pitcher · mine · field · game

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. field — a subject
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. field — for sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. snap — to click
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — farmland
  24. pitcher — a jug

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