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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. root — the cause
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. content — the amount
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. game — wild animals
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. kid — child
  15. root — of a plant
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a word
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. content — happy
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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