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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: wound · key · cap · pit · calf · net · bore · content

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. content — happy
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — the amount
  7. key — in music
  8. net — after costs
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cap — a hat
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pit — in a race

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