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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: stick · last · shower · chest · racket · pitch · safe · key

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — final
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. chest — of your body
  15. last — finally
  16. chest — of your body
  17. key — in music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chest — a box
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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