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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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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. kid — child
  5. pitch — completely
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — a permit
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. foot — the bottom

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