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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.

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: calf · rash · spring · court · pitch · staff · plane · snap

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rash — a series
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — of a king
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. court — for sport
  11. rash — hasty
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to click
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — completely
  21. plane — a tool
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — of law
  24. plane — in geometry

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