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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. content — videos and posts
  4. mug — to rob
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mug — a cup
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mug — a face
  16. present — a gift
  17. hand — help
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ground — crushed
  20. content — happy
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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