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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — happy
  6. bear — the animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. land — a country
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fine — high quality
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — ground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. content — the amount
  22. row — to paddle
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. calf — a young animal

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