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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rush — a thrill

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