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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cue — a hint
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cue — a signal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lean — thin
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. swing — music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mouse — the 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