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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.

Words on the sheet
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: mine · temple · ground · season · calf · pitch · fan · ball

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ground — a position
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — the earth
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. season — of the year
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. season — in sport
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ball — a great time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — belonging to me

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