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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. band — a music group
  4. pit — a hole
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — humankind
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. hand — in cards
  17. band — a ring
  18. pop — to visit
  19. race — a contest
  20. pop — soda
  21. pit — in a race
  22. race — the arms race
  23. hand — help
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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