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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cap — a hat
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ball — a great time
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. spring — of water
  21. ball — a dance
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pitch — completely
  24. snap — to click

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