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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spell — a short time
  3. row — a line
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. spell — letters
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. row — to paddle
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — magic
  16. mate — a partner
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mate — a friend
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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