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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: march · season · mate · pitch · safe · kid · nail · object

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mate — a friend
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kid — to tease
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. object — a thing
  16. march — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. object — to protest
  20. season — of the year
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. object — an aim
  23. kid — child
  24. mate — to breed

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