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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.

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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 · root · pitch · ball · ground · band · chest · stick

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. band — a music group
  3. chest — of your body
  4. root — of a word
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. root — the cause
  10. ground — a position
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chest — a box
  18. ball — a dance
  19. band — a ring
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — completely

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