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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. land — ground
  9. toast — bread
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. land — to come down
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — help
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fan — to cool the air

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