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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. object — an aim
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. object — to protest
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — in cards
  10. object — a thing
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. field — farmland
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. field — for sport
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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