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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 116 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: deal · calf · mate · capital · hand · pitch · ball · prune

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — to handle
  8. ball — a dance
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a city
  12. pitch — completely
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ball — a great time
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. prune — to trim
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. hand — help
  20. capital — money
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — a friend

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