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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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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: present · cabinet · land · pitch · lie · calf · chest · race

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. present — a gift
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — ground
  6. present — the time now
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. present — there
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. race — humankind
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. race — the arms race
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — to recline
  22. land — a country
  23. race — a contest
  24. calf — of the leg

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