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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: pit · bowl · pitcher · pitch · arm · calf · wind · rest

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rest — what's left
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. arm — part of the body

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