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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. present — the time now
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. present — a gift
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — the amount
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cue — for pool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — letters
  11. cue — a signal
  12. content — happy
  13. file — a tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a document
  19. present — there
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cue — a hint

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