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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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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spell — letters
  6. mate — to breed
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mate — a friend
  10. foot — a measure
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. spell — a short time
  14. content — happy
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cell — a phone
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. court — of law
  19. present — the time now
  20. court — for sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. present — a gift
  23. court — of a king
  24. present — there

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