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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · rock · cue · calf · leaves · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cue — a signal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rock — music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cue — a hint
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. content — happy
  15. rock — a stone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cold — an illness

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