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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. game — a match
  5. pop — soda
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mark — a grade
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rule — a law
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rule — government
  20. pop — music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — to visit

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