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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. game — a match
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — a path
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. track — a song
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. current — of water
  11. face — to point toward
  12. game — wild animals
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. deal — to handle
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — part of the head
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. face — to confront

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