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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. tube — the underground
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — to push
  15. season — of the year
  16. shower — to wash
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. content — happy
  21. tube — a container
  22. press — a publisher
  23. deal — to handle
  24. coach — a trainer

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