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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: pitch · mate · kid · track · mine · calf · wake · fine

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fine — all right
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kid — child
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. track — a song

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