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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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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: pit · land · toast · mouse · calf · pitch · shower · pop

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — rain
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. pit — a hole
  6. shower — to wash
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. toast — bread
  10. pit — in a race
  11. land — ground
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pitch — completely
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pop — soda
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pop — music

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