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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. content — happy
  4. chest — a box
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — the amount
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bound — tied together
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. capital — a city
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. capital — money

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