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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. band — a ring
  4. net — in sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. current — happening now
  9. pop — soda
  10. current — of water
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — music
  13. staff — employees
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. land — ground
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — a country
  22. current — electric
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitch — completely

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