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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. content — the amount
  8. scale — in music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cap — a hat
  13. scale — size or range
  14. content — happy
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. court — for sport
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cap — a lid

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