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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rock — music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. craft — a skill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. march — the month
  20. content — the amount
  21. march — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. craft — boats
  24. rock — a stone

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