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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a ring
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. content — the amount
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. band — a music group
  17. bear — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. content — happy
  20. stock — goods
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bear — the animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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