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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: nail · season · present · cap · spell · pitch · safe · hand

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. cap — a hat
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. hand — in cards
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cap — a lid
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. present — the time now
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitch — completely
  21. present — there
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. present — a gift

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