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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: court · suit · pitch · calf · lash · mate · temple · capital

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. suit — to fit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — money
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mate — a partner
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. court — of a king
  12. capital — a city
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitch — completely
  15. court — of law
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. court — for sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. calf — a young animal

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