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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mug — a face
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — happy
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hand — help
  16. cap — a hat
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — of the year
  21. cap — a lid
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. content — the amount
  24. ruler — a monarch

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