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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. bear — the animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. content — happy
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — the amount
  13. field — for sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pitch — completely
  18. field — a subject
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  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