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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bound — certain
  6. content — the amount
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. content — happy
  9. kick — in football
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. clip — a video
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. charge — electricity
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bound — obliged
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. bound — tied together

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