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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: cold · bulb · fork · pitch · bass · pitcher · wound · safe

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fork — a garden tool

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