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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. march — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. content — happy
  9. charge — electricity
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. charge — in control
  15. content — the amount
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. charge — a price
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. deal — to handle

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