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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lie — to recline
  7. club — for dancing
  8. band — a music group
  9. club — for golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. club — a group
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bound — tied together
  16. content — happy
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. content — the amount
  20. season — in sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a ring

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