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

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cue — for pool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitch — completely
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. roll — a list
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cue — a signal
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. racket — for tennis

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