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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. present — a gift
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. row — to paddle
  8. content — the amount
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. squash — the sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. row — a line
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. foot — a measure
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. content — happy
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. squash — to crush

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