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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. season — in sport
  11. foot — a measure
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. can — a tin
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. can — to be able to
  18. row — a line
  19. can — a tin
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — to hurry
  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