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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: safe · fall · temple · kid · net · pitch · pit · saw

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a hole
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fall — the season
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitch — completely
  17. kid — to tease
  18. net — after costs
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pit — in a race
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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