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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. firm — a company
  3. content — the amount
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. present — there
  6. face — to confront
  7. court — of a king
  8. face — part of the head
  9. content — happy
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. present — the time now
  15. firm — steady
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. season — in sport
  18. firm — decided
  19. branch — a division
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of law
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. face — to point toward
  24. present — a gift

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