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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fall — the season
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitch — completely
  5. can — to be able to
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. drill — a practice
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. drill — army training
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — child
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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