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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — happy
  3. ground — crushed
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bulb — for light
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — in sport
  16. content — the amount
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. spell — magic
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bulb — for light

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