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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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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: bay · calf · game · bear · pop · cold · pitch · stem

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pop — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cold — an illness

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