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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. present — a gift
  3. cold — an illness
  4. squash — to crush
  5. suit — clothes
  6. present — the time now
  7. squash — the sport
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. suit — to fit
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. present — there
  16. sharp — clever
  17. content — happy
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cold — not warm
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. content — the amount
  24. ruler — a monarch

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