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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fall — the season
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — army training
  11. content — happy
  12. charge — a price
  13. rest — what's left
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rest — a break
  16. wind — moving air
  17. drill — the tool
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — in control
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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