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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.

Make a worksheet

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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — a cup
  3. content — the amount
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mug — a face
  7. content — happy
  8. spell — letters
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spell — a short time
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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