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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.

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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — happy
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rest — a break
  6. content — the amount
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lean — thin
  13. can — a tin
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left

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