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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. net — after costs
  3. content — happy
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — a series
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ground — the earth
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ground — a position
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. net — for catching
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rash — hasty

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