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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: mate · safe · pit · kick · wound · race · band · pitch

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitch — completely
  5. race — a contest
  6. pit — a hole
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — to breed
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — an injury
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wound — an injury
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. band — a music group
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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