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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. race — humankind
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. race — a contest
  16. season — of the year
  17. race — the arms race
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fine — all right
  23. chest — of your body
  24. content — happy

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