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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ball — a great time
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cue — a signal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. swing — in golf
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. swing — music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. drill — the tool
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ground — crushed
  14. drill — a practice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitch — completely
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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