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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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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: calf · kid · pop · sharp · cap · mark · squash · content

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. content — happy
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — child
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pop — to visit
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. content — the amount
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pop — soda
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cap — a lid
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mark — a trace

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