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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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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: lie · calf · court · pitch · ground · pass · cell · pitcher

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — a permit
  18. court — for sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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