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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. content — the amount
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — help
  17. content — happy
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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