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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a face
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chip — to eat
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wind — to turn a key

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