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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. degree — from a university
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. degree — an amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. content — happy
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — the amount
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bowl — to roll

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