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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. land — to come down
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitch — completely
  12. land — ground
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kid — child
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — a country
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. content — happy

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