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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. roll — a cake
  3. squash — the sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. content — the amount
  6. squash — to crush
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rash — a series
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. roll — a list
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rash — hasty
  24. staff — employees

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