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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 116 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: kick · pitch · deal · calf · season · bore · stem · track

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pitch — completely
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. track — a song
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. deal — to handle
  15. season — of the year
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bore — to tire
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bore — to drill

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