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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lean — thin
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. content — happy
  15. scale — in music
  16. content — the amount
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chair — a leader
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. foot — part of the body

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