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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bear — the animal
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wound — an injury
  10. content — the amount
  11. bore — to drill
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. present — the time now
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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