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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. key — in music
  7. net — for catching
  8. present — there
  9. cap — a lid
  10. game — wild animals
  11. key — the most important part
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — in sport
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. staff — employees
  18. content — happy
  19. game — a match
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. net — after costs
  23. key — for a lock
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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