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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: fall · content · bass · calf · mine · season · fine · mate

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bass — the fish
  5. content — happy
  6. fall — the season
  7. mate — to breed
  8. season — of the year
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. content — the amount
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. season — in sport
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bass — low music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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