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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.

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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: cap · calf · ground · present · content · march · sharp · track

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cap — of ice
  4. content — the amount
  5. march — music
  6. cap — a lid
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — crushed
  10. present — the time now
  11. content — happy
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. present — a gift
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ground — a position
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — a hat
  22. track — a path
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. present — there

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