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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — for catching
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — to come from
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — of the year
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — in sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — in sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pound — a weight

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