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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · calf · wind · bat · temple · pitcher · racket · land

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — ground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — crushed
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — a position
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — to turn a key

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