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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: season · fan · cabinet · calf · pit · content · prune · straw

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. season — in sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. content — happy
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — in a race
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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