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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.

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: object · season · kid · cell · pitcher · foot · calf · ball

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — child
  8. season — of the year
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. object — a thing
  18. ball — a great time
  19. foot — a measure
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. season — in sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kid — to tease

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