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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: foot · pop · bat · hide · spring · calf · net · pitch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — completely
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spring — of water
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pop — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — after costs

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