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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — happy
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. degree — temperature
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. degree — from a university
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. calf — of the leg

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