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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: pitcher · calf · race · mate · season · bulb · cell · pit

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — a contest
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. race — humankind
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. season — of the year
  15. pit — a hole
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mate — to breed
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cell — in biology

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