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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. content — happy
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. saw — the tool
  14. key — in music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. content — the amount
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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