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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. charge — in control
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. can — a tin
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. content — happy
  16. charge — a price
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pound — a weight
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. content — the amount

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