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

Word bank: straw · staff · cell · pitch · present · calf

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. present — there
  9. staff — a stick
  10. present — a gift
  11. cell — in biology
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. staff — employees
  18. present — the time now

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