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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chip — to eat
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spell — magic
  14. chip — for betting
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rock — music
  18. pitch — a sports field

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