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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 120 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 · pitch · sharp · content · row · spell · ground · tear

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. content — the amount
  8. tear — to rip
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ground — a position
  14. row — a line
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spell — a short time
  18. content — happy
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — videos and posts

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