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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — crushed
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cue — a hint
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pitch — completely
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spring — of water

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