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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. race — a contest
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bore — to drill
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. scale — in music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — humankind
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. race — the arms race
  17. row — a line
  18. lean — thin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. content — happy
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lean — to bend
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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