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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wake — a trail
  8. content — the amount
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spell — letters
  12. dip — to sink
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. track — a path
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. spell — a short time
  19. game — a match
  20. spell — magic
  21. track — to keep track
  22. content — happy
  23. track — a song
  24. calf — of the leg

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