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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: calf · plane · row · kid · ball · mate · straw · squash

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kid — child
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. row — a line
  13. mate — to breed
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kid — to tease
  17. ball — a dance
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mate — a friend
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. plane — a tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ball — a great time

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