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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.

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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.

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: game · bass · content · calf · season · hide · wind · fan

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — a match
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — wild animals
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — of the year
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. content — happy
  14. season — in sport
  15. bass — low music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — the fish
  24. content — the amount

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