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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — the amount
  4. ball — a great time
  5. clip — for paper
  6. capital — money
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. capital — a city
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fine — high quality
  16. content — happy
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ball — a dance
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fine — all right
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bowl — a dish

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