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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: spring · content · ruler · swing · pitch · field · cell · calf

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitch — completely
  3. field — a subject
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cell — a phone
  9. content — happy
  10. cell — in biology
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — the amount
  16. spring — the season
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spring — of water
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. swing — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. ruler — a monarch

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