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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitch — completely
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. board — a committee
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bass — low music

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