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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ground — a position
  21. rash — a series
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pitch — completely

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