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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 · present · kid · mate · chest · tear · safe · hide

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — a partner
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mate — to breed
  9. kid — child
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — to tease
  13. present — a gift
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitch — completely
  19. present — there
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitch — a sports field

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