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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. root — of a word
  7. board — a committee
  8. file — a tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. board — to get on
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a document
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitch — completely
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — the cause
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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