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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spell — a short time
  3. swing — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — to play on
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. fork — in a road
  11. content — happy
  12. object — an aim
  13. content — the amount
  14. lean — thin
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. content — videos and posts

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