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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. charge — electricity
  3. march — the month
  4. content — happy
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rock — music
  16. charge — in control
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — farmland
  19. court — of a king
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. march — the month
  23. field — a subject
  24. march — music

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