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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: bat · band · ruler · chip · wave · race · safe · pitch

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a ring
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. chip — for betting
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chip — to eat
  17. race — the arms race
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ruler — for measuring

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