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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 116 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: calf · club · sharp · bay · pitch · mate · root · fall

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. club — a group
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. root — of a word
  7. club — for golf
  8. sharp — clever
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fall — to drop
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitch — completely
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fall — the season
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mate — a friend
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mate — to breed
  24. root — the cause

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