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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 116 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: pitcher · kick · spell · content · tear · hand · calf · bay

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. content — happy
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spell — magic
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hand — help
  22. kick — in football
  23. content — the amount
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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