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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. suit — in cards
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fork — in a road
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. suit — to fit
  7. present — a gift
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. present — the time now
  15. suit — clothes
  16. clip — for paper
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. present — there
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fork — to eat with

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