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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — letters
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. swing — in golf
  18. spell — magic
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. foot — a measure
  21. swing — music
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. calf — a young animal

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