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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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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: deal · ground · cold · pass · rest · pitch · pitcher · calf

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitcher — a jug

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