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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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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: cold · last · lean · calf · rash · degree · pitch · lash

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cold — an illness
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — final
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lean — thin
  9. last — to go on
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rash — a series
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rash — hasty

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