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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kid — child
  3. content — happy
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fine — all right
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. band — a ring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fine — high quality
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kid — to tease

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