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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: spell · kid · pitcher · net · straw · calf · mug · pound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spell — magic
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — child
  6. spell — letters
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. net — for catching
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spell — a short time
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mug — a face

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