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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. content — happy
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pound — a weight
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. land — a country
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. content — the amount
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cell — in biology
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. land — ground
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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