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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — crushed
  12. root — of a word
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. clip — a video
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ground — the earth
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ground — a position
  24. root — the cause

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