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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. content — the amount
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — happy
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. file — a document
  14. board — to get on
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — of a king
  22. fine — all right
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — a committee

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