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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 120 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
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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: cabinet · mine · pitch · foot · temple · safe · hand · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. season — of the year
  5. foot — a measure
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — for digging

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