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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 · row · saw · pitcher · mug · last · squash · kick

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — finally
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — to crush
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — final
  11. kick — in football
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mug — to rob
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mug — a cup

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