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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — a coil
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. track — a song
  7. foot — a measure
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — an amount
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. staff — employees
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. track — a path
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. fine — high quality
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. degree — temperature
  24. staff — a stick

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