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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rock — a stone
  9. squash — to crush
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cap — of ice
  12. spring — a coil
  13. content — the amount
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rock — music
  16. suit — clothes
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cap — a lid

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