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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · ground · shower · pitch · march · calf · bat · toast

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — rain
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — completely
  9. march — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ground — crushed
  21. toast — bread
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. shower — to wash

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