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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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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 · deal · cold · pitch · fan · bay · pitcher · degree

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cold — an illness
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cold — the Cold War

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