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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: pitch · date · tube · safe · cold · trunk · pit · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pitch — completely
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — a weight

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