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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. chest — a box
  3. content — happy
  4. cue — a hint
  5. content — the amount
  6. present — the time now
  7. cue — for pool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — a gift
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. season — of the year
  17. present — there
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. season — in sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bear — the animal

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