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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: wind · spell · squash · calf · pitch · object

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. spell — magic
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitch — completely
  10. object — to protest
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. squash — to crush
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing

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