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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. object — an aim
  3. mug — a face
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mug — a cup
  11. object — a thing
  12. content — happy
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wind — moving air
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — a young animal

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