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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitch — completely
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. field — a subject
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. hide — animal skin

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