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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — money
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cue — a hint
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rule — government
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cue — a signal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rule — a law

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