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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: pitch · calf · rash · toast · squash · fork · bowl · tear

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pitch — completely
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rash — a series
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. toast — bread
  10. tear — from crying
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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