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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: pitch · fork · object · perch · last · leaves · bat · calf

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. last — final
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. last — to go on
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bat — the animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. object — to protest
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. object — an aim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — finally
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fork — in a road

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