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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. bulb — for light
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. root — of a plant
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. content — the amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bulb — for light
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. drill — the tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. drill — a practice
  17. root — the cause
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. content — happy
  20. land — ground
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. safe — out of danger

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