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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.

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: calf · row · hand · pit · fan · march · cap · content

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. row — a line
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pit — in a race
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. content — happy
  20. row — to paddle
  21. content — the amount
  22. hand — in cards
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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