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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. season — of the year
  5. chest — of your body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pop — soda
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pop — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — the amount
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pop — to visit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — in sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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