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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. kick — in football
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. straw — a straw man

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