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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. staff — a stick
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitch — completely
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. band — a ring
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. staff — employees
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. staff — employees
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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