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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: calf · mine · coach · ground · spell · leaves · pitch · mouse

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spell — a short time
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ground — a position
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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