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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. content — the amount
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. content — happy
  7. cap — a lid
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — a match
  13. rock — music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cap — a hat

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