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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ground · calf · season · pitch · drill · craft · kid · fan

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. season — of the year
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. season — in sport
  11. craft — boats
  12. ground — a position
  13. drill — army training
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. drill — a practice
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kid — child
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kid — to tease

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