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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · calf · swing · spring · chest · pitch

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. 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. spring — the season
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rule — a law
  6. chest — a box
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — of your body
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. 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