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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 · date · wave · cold · pitch · stick · rule · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rule — government
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — not warm
  5. date — the fruit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rule — a law
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hand — help
  24. wave — with your hand

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