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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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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: rash · spell · chip · pitcher · rock · trunk · court · calf

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rock — a stone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. court — for sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — a series
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chip — for betting

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