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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: content · calf · ball · lie · court · chest · fork · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — to recline
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fork — in a road
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a great time
  15. content — happy
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — of law
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. chest — a box
  23. ball — a dance
  24. lie — an untruth

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