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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cue — a hint
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. spring — the season
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — a coil
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. row — a line

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