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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.

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: content · march · calf · ball · stock · key · wind · bore

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. march — music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. content — happy
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bore — to drill
  11. key — in music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stock — goods
  15. march — the month
  16. content — the amount
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stock — shares
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wind — moving air

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