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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: calf · field · mine · lash · file · hand · ruler · pitch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. field — a subject
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — help
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. field — farmland
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a line of people
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. file — a document

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