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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — a match
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. root — of a word
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. face — part of the head
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. content — happy
  14. fine — all right
  15. game — wild animals
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. face — to confront
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. root — the cause
  21. face — to point toward
  22. root — of a plant
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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