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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fine — all right
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fine — high quality
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. pitch — completely
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bear — the animal

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