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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. court — of law
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. court — for sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. court — of a king
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pit — in a race

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