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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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468
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — low music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. charge — a price
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — for sport
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. field — farmland
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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