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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. content — happy
  8. spring — the season
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. content — the amount
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wake — a trail
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spring — of water

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