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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: calf · pitch · sharp · roll · temple · perch · spell · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. perch — the fish
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. spell — magic
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cold — an illness
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — completely
  17. spell — letters
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. roll — a list
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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