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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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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 · fine · wind · racket · kid · content · squash · arm

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fine — all right
  5. kid — to tease
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — happy
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wind — moving air
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kid — child

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