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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. charge — in control
  3. staff — employees
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. content — happy
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. content — the amount
  11. capital — a city
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bark — to shout
  15. staff — a stick
  16. capital — money
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. charge — a price
  20. staff — employees
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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