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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bore — to drill
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. hand — help
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. toast — bread
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — in cards
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. degree — an amount
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. calf — a young animal

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