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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bound — certain
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — the amount
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. content — happy
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rock — music

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