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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. court — for sport
  4. content — the amount
  5. court — of law
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bore — to drill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — to push
  11. bear — the animal
  12. content — happy
  13. bear — the animal
  14. craft — a skill
  15. court — of a king
  16. craft — boats
  17. press — a publisher
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bore — to tire

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