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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.

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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: calf · cell · lash · wind · mouse · pitch

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sports field

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