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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. degree — an amount
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. squash — the sport
  18. capital — money
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. capital — a city
  22. degree — from a university
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. squash — to crush

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