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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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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: arm · pitch · hide · chair · branch · squash · bay · calf

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitch — completely
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitch — a sports field

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