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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: pitch · calf · game · bulb · cold · hide · foot · tear

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bulb — for light
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. game — wild animals
  10. foot — a measure
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. game — a match
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bulb — for light
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitch — completely

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