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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. content — the amount
  3. ground — crushed
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — help
  11. ground — the earth
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — final
  14. ground — a position
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — boats
  17. staff — a stick
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. hand — in cards
  20. staff — employees
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. content — happy
  24. hand — part of the body

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