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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — final
  5. season — of the year
  6. clip — a video
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fine — high quality
  10. clip — to cut
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fine — all right
  14. rock — a stone
  15. clip — for paper
  16. content — happy
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rock — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — finally
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. last — to go on
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. season — in sport

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