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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — the amount
  4. ball — a dance
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. content — happy
  8. bulb — for light
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bulb — for light
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — a line
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. row — to paddle

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