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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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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: pound · pitcher · safe · cold · hide · firm · mine · kid

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. firm — a company
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. firm — decided
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. firm — steady
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kid — child
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. safe — out of danger

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