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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fine — all right
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pitch — a sports field

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