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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — to visit
  4. deal — to handle
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitch — completely
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pop — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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