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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: game · safe · scale · content · lash · cold · object · calf

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. game — wild animals
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. scale — in music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. game — a match
  12. object — to protest
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cold — an illness
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. content — happy
  18. object — a thing
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cold — not warm
  23. object — an aim
  24. content — the amount

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