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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — the amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — happy
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mate — a friend
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. last — finally
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. mate — to breed
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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