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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 116 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
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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: squash · coach · spell · kid · calf · bound · sharp · field

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. sharp — clever
  6. field — farmland
  7. bound — tied together
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spell — magic
  10. squash — the sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. spell — a short time
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bound — obliged
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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