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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: rest · pitcher · chair · safe · pitch · bowl · fall · degree

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rest — a break
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fall — to drop
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — the season
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chair — to sit on

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