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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pass — a permit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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