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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pitch — completely
  9. board — to get on
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — child
  17. cap — a lid
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ball — a dance
  20. board — a committee
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. key — in music
  24. kid — to tease

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