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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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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: pit · spell · pitcher · safe · wound · cold · arm · bowl

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — magic
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. spell — letters
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spell — a short time
  24. arm — a part of something

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