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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. can — a tin
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. content — happy
  6. court — of a king
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. can — to be able to
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. season — of the year
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. court — for sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — clever
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — in sport
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kick — in football
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — the amount

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