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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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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: club · squash · calf · field · pound · kid · pitch · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. firm — decided
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — completely
  5. field — farmland
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. firm — steady
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. squash — to crush
  14. club — a group
  15. field — for sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — a subject
  20. squash — the sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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