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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 · content · chair · rule · bay · jam · fan · ball

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — happy
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rule — a law
  19. ball — a dance
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rule — government

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