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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — a match
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bore — to tire
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — final
  14. bore — to drill
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. stand — to bear
  22. last — finally
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stand — for spectators

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