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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bear — the animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. file — a document
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — of the year
  18. file — a tool
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. board — to get on
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. board — a committee

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