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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: mug · pitch · calf · pop · clip · last · spell · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pop — music
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — finally
  7. spell — letters
  8. foot — a measure
  9. last — final
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mug — a face
  14. pop — soda
  15. spell — magic
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. spell — a short time
  22. last — to go on
  23. mug — to rob
  24. calf — of the leg

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