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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stem — to come from
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spell — letters
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fine — high quality
  18. net — for catching
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — all right
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. spell — a short time
  24. safe — out of danger

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