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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. present — there
  4. net — for catching
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. row — to paddle
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitch — completely
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. game — wild animals
  21. present — a gift
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a match
  24. row — a line

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