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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bound — tied together
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. content — the amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. content — happy
  10. pass — a permit
  11. court — for sport
  12. rest — a break
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — obliged
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. court — of law
  24. leaves — of a tree

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