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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 120 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: board · pitch · bowl · foot · land · drill · calf · leaves

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. board — to get on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. drill — army training
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. land — a country
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. drill — the tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. board — a committee
  20. pitch — completely
  21. land — ground
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. drill — a practice
  24. land — to come down

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