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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — happy
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — letters
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — a country
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. root — of a word
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spell — magic
  23. root — of a plant
  24. sharp — with an edge

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