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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 116 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
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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: shower · content · mate · firm · calf · pit · scale · game

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — happy
  5. mate — a partner
  6. firm — a company
  7. pit — a hole
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — to wash
  13. firm — decided
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pit — in a race
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — a match
  22. mate — to breed
  23. scale — in music
  24. firm — steady

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