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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. content — the amount
  3. kid — child
  4. tube — a container
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — happy
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. can — a tin
  14. band — a music group
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chest — a box
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a ring
  24. kick — in football

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