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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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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: patient · bowl · calf · lash · chair · pitch · face · perch

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. face — to point toward
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitch — completely
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. face — to confront
  23. chair — a leader
  24. calf — of the leg

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