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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: fall · jam · cold · present · content · pitch · calf · dip

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fall — to drop
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pitch — completely
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. present — a gift
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. content — happy
  24. dip — a sauce

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