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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: safe · bat · rash · shower · pitch · leaves · land · staff

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. shower — rain
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. staff — employees
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitch — completely
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. staff — a stick
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bat — the animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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