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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bound — obliged
  4. band — a ring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. cue — a hint
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cue — a signal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. kid — to tease
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bound — tied together
  15. craft — boats
  16. kid — child
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. content — happy
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bound — certain
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cue — for pool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — low music

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