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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hand — help
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. capital — money
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. capital — a city
  23. stem — of a plant
  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