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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.

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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: wind · content · rest · court · calf · arm · cap · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wind — moving air
  3. court — for sport
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of law
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cap — a hat
  20. court — of a king
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rest — what's left

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