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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · bat · nail · pitch · file · track · cell · safe

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a song
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. season — in sport
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. track — a path
  12. file — a line of people
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitch — completely
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. file — a tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. file — a document

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