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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — the month
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. tear — to rip
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — the amount
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — music
  17. game — a match
  18. can — a tin
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pass — a permit
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tear — from crying
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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