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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hand — in cards
  3. net — after costs
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. object — an aim
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. net — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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