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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: cell · pitcher · last · pitch · kick · field · bowl · safe

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — completely
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — farmland
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. field — a subject
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cell — a phone
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cell — in biology
  20. last — to go on
  21. field — for sport
  22. last — finally
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kick — a thrill

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