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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: chair · pitch · straw · staff · bound · calf · bank · field

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bank — for money
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bound — tied together
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — farmland
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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