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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. land — to come down
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rash — a series
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — music
  14. land — ground
  15. swing — to play on
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. land — a country
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cue — a hint
  20. hand — in cards
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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