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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — letters
  3. rock — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. season — in sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rock — a stone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. season — of the year
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitch — a sports field

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