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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: mine · leaves · hand · saw · pitch · court · firm · calf

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. firm — a company
  3. court — of a king
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — in cards
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. court — of law
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. firm — steady
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. hand — help
  20. firm — decided
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — an explosive

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