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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — ground
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. charge — in control
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. staff — employees
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — a stick
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. staff — employees
  22. charge — a price
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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