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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: calf · mark · safe · season · bore · shower · roll · content

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. roll — a cake
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. content — happy
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. roll — a list
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bore — to tire
  14. shower — rain
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — to wash
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. safe — out of danger

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