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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rock — music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. face — to point toward
  13. content — the amount
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — clever
  17. face — to confront
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bore — gave birth
  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