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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — help
  20. can — to be able to
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. calf — a young animal
  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