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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: calf · bore · spell · bat · nail · cap · content · dip

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. content — happy
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spell — magic
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cap — of ice
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spell — letters
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bat — in an idiom

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