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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. squash — the sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — a friend
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. squash — to crush
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. key — in music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. key — the most important part
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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