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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. suit — to fit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. content — happy
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. content — the amount
  15. kid — child
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bass — low music
  22. suit — clothes
  23. kid — to tease
  24. arm — a part of something

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