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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — the most important part
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. content — happy
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rush — hurry
  17. key — in music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. content — the amount
  24. ball — a great time

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