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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — shares
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stock — goods
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. season — of the year
  17. row — to paddle
  18. swing — music
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. row — a line
  21. season — in sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. deal — an agreement
  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