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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. content — happy
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. can — to be able to
  6. file — a document
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mug — a cup
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mark — a trace
  12. can — a tin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. mug — a face
  16. clip — a video
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. can — a tin
  19. mug — to rob
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mark — a grade
  22. clip — to cut
  23. content — videos and posts
  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