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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. content — the amount
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. content — happy
  7. lean — to bend
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — all right
  21. drill — the tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fine — high quality

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