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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bass — the fish
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. content — happy
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. jam — in traffic

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