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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. root — the cause
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — final
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — of a word
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — to go on
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pass — a permit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. content — the amount
  17. row — a line
  18. root — of a plant
  19. last — finally
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. band — a ring
  24. pass — to succeed

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