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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: pitcher · fork · pitch · rash · safe · arm · race · net

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — in a road
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — the arms race
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. race — humankind
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — a contest
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. arm — part of the body

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