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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bear — the animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. rock — music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. content — happy
  18. capital — money
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. capital — a city
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. track — a path
  24. calf — of the leg

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