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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: cold · toast · pitcher · cap · pitch · bark · net · safe

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. net — after costs
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. toast — bread
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — for catching
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. safe — a strongbox

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