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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stem — to come from
  9. content — the amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — happy
  13. board — to get on
  14. ball — a dance
  15. perch — the fish
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — in cards
  20. board — a committee
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hand — part of the body

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