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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.

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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: game · straw · pitch · kid · bound · racket · calf · pit

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pit — in a race
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bound — tied together
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kid — to tease
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bound — certain
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — a match
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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