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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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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: pitch · kid · lash · degree · fork · jam · drill · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. drill — army training
  4. kid — child
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kid — to tease
  23. drill — a practice
  24. degree — an amount

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