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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 116 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — happy
  4. bass — low music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bass — the fish
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. snap — to click
  11. scale — in music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — for sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — the amount
  18. scale — size or range
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — of law
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rock — music

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