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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: spell · fall · ground · toast · pitch · current · trunk · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. ground — the earth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. current — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ground — a position
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. current — electric
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. toast — bread
  15. current — happening now
  16. fall — the season
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitch — completely
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — crushed

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