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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 120 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: row · bowl · racket · staff · ground · current · calf · pitch

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. staff — a stick
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. current — happening now
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. row — a line
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — of water
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — completely
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — electric
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bowl — to roll

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