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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a great time
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. content — the amount
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. object — to protest
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. object — a thing
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. object — an aim
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. calf — a young animal

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