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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · wax · calf · safe · net · field · degree · mug

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. net — for catching
  7. field — for sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — after costs
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — a subject
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mug — a face

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