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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.

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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pit — in a race
  11. march — music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pit — a hole
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — the month
  24. content — the amount

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