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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.

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: foot · land · present · calf · prune · pop · squash · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — ground
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. squash — to crush
  8. present — a gift
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. present — there
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pop — soda
  16. land — a country
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. land — to come down
  21. squash — the sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. squash — the vegetable

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