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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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 sales talk
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fork — in a road
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bark — to shout
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. band — a music group
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. band — a ring
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  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