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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: fine · calf · land · bat · fan · chip · foot · pitch

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. land — to come down
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bat — the animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bat — in an idiom

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