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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: march · arm · content · cap · foot · hide · calf · bear

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — a lid
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cap — of ice
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — the amount
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — the bottom

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