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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. content — happy
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — of water
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pop — soda
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. current — electric
  14. pop — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. current — happening now
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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