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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — farmland
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. firm — decided
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — letters
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. firm — a company
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. field — a subject
  12. firm — steady
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. field — for sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. hand — help
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitch — completely
  24. calf — a young animal

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