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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. last — to go on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — ground
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — final
  9. charge — electricity
  10. court — for sport
  11. last — finally
  12. root — the cause
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. court — of a king
  17. pound — a weight
  18. court — of law
  19. charge — a price
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. vault — a safe
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. pound — to hit hard

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