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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: kick · pitch · race · safe · firm · court · field · dip

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — for sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — for sport
  8. firm — decided
  9. kick — in football
  10. field — farmland
  11. court — of a king
  12. firm — a company
  13. pitch — completely
  14. field — a subject
  15. race — the arms race
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. race — humankind
  21. firm — steady
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. race — a contest

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