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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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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: calf · board · hand · roll · pitch · season · bear · bowl

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. roll — a list
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. season — of the year
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. season — in sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hand — help
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. roll — a cake
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hand — in cards
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. board — a committee

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