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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to click
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pop — music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — happy
  20. cell — a phone
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. content — the amount
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cell — in a prison

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