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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: calf · kick · track · pitch · season · bat · safe · rule

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rule — government
  9. pitch — completely
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — in sport

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