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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. row — a line
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — to handle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ball — a dance
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wax — in the ear

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