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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 116 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: kid · present · track · saw · safe · swing · pound · pitcher

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. track — a song
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. swing — music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — the time now
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — a gift
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kid — child
  24. track — to keep track

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