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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · hide · land · deal · jam · content · calf · bound

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bound — certain
  4. content — happy
  5. present — a gift
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. content — the amount
  17. present — there
  18. bound — tied together
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. land — to come down
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. land — a country

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