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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — a permit
  10. roll — a list
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lean — to bend
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. roll — a cake
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pass — to succeed

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