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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.

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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: bat · racket · content · spell · calf · game · firm · rash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — a match
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — a series
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. rash — hasty
  23. firm — decided
  24. rash — on the skin

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