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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. firm — a company
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fine — all right
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. content — the amount
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. firm — decided
  21. content — happy
  22. firm — steady
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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