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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. land — to come down
  6. root — of a plant
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. root — of a word
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — a country
  17. fine — all right
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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