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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 124 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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bark — to shout
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cue — for pool
  6. content — happy
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — the amount
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kid — to tease
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — a hint
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kid — child
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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