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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 116 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 · wind · rest · pitch · march · calf · cabinet · squash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. march — music
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — the month
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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