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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — happy
  5. last — final
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kid — to tease
  11. press — newspapers
  12. firm — steady
  13. board — a committee
  14. last — finally
  15. degree — from a university
  16. board — to get on
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kid — child
  19. last — to go on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. content — the amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. press — to push

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