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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. track — a path
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. board — a committee
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chair — a leader
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. board — to get on
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. track — a song
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bat — the animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chair — a professorship

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