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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: rest · kick · spell · squash · straw · calf · date · cabinet

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. kick — in football
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — letters
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. date — the fruit
  23. calf — a young animal
  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