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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · nail · date · temple · bat · scale · drill · safe

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. drill — army training
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. date — the fruit
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pitch — completely
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. scale — size or range

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