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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. root — the cause
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. root — of a plant
  7. dip — to sink
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. land — a country
  10. content — the amount
  11. club — for dancing
  12. root — of a word
  13. content — happy
  14. land — to come down
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — ground
  22. club — a group
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — for golf

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