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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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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: kick · hide · object · present · chest · calf · wake · content

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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. wake — a trail
  4. present — the time now
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. object — a thing
  10. present — a gift
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. object — to protest
  15. present — there
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — the amount
  18. object — an aim
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chest — of your body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hide — to keep secret

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