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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. march — the month
  3. content — the amount
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. present — the time now
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — to come from
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. march — the month

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