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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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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: last · land · calf · bark · pitch · cabinet · kick · file

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. file — a document
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a tool
  12. land — ground
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. land — a country
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kick — in football
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. land — to come down

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