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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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. mine — an explosive
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — in football
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wave — with your hand

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