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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: calf · shower · pitch · file · straw · can · game · chair

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chair — a leader
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. game — a match
  10. file — a document
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. file — a tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. file — a line of people
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — rain
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitch — a sports field

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