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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fine — all right
  4. content — happy
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — the amount
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a great time
  24. prune — the fruit

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