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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: bowl · pound · rest · content · calf · pitch

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rest — a break
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rest — what's left
  8. content — happy
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard

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