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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 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. clip — a video
  7. root — the cause
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. season — of the year
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bark — to shout
  17. root — of a word
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. clip — to cut
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. clip — for paper

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