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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a match
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bat — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. date — the fruit
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hand — in cards

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