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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mate — a friend
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. content — the amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — happy
  10. shower — rain
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. band — a ring
  14. scale — in music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stock — goods
  17. mate — a partner
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fine — all right
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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