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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pop — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a music group
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. band — a ring
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pop — soda
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rest — a break
  24. season — to add flavour

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