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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — of water
  3. content — happy
  4. last — to go on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. content — the amount
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. suit — to fit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. suit — in cards
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. spring — a coil
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. suit — clothes
  21. race — a contest
  22. perch — the fish
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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