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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: root · pitch · mine · deal · temple · safe · kid · capital

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. capital — money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. root — the cause
  10. capital — a city
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mine — for digging
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. root — of a word
  18. kid — to tease
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — an agreement

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