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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. clip — for paper
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. club — a group
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. clip — to cut
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  24. chair — a professorship

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