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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bat — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bark — to shout
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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