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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: safe · wind · deal · saw · pitch · bore · mine · last

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitch — completely
  5. last — finally
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — for digging
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. saw — the tool

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