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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. march — music
  3. content — the amount
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. face — to confront
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. march — the month
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. face — to point toward
  14. court — of a king
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. content — happy
  18. chip — for betting
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — a division
  24. chip — to eat

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