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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.

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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: mug · key · kick · present · kid · content · calf · saw

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. present — a gift
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — the amount
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. present — the time now
  8. mug — a face
  9. key — in music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kick — in football
  12. mug — a cup
  13. key — the most important part
  14. present — there
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mug — to rob
  17. kid — to tease
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. saw — the tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — child
  24. kick — a thrill

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