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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. object — an aim
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — a thing
  12. content — happy
  13. object — to protest
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. content — the amount
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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