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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. content — happy
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pop — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bore — to tire
  19. content — the amount
  20. vault — a safe
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pop — soda

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