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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. content — the amount
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. shower — rain
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pit — a hole

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