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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a face
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. charge — a price
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. charge — electricity
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. present — a gift
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. charge — in control
  23. present — there
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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