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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lean — thin
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. can — to be able to
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. season — of the year
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mate — a partner
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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