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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: season · pitch · bound · calf · leaves · face · kid · degree

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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 — tied together
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — of the year
  4. face — to confront
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. degree — from a university
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bound — certain
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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