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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. content — happy
  7. rule — a law
  8. scale — size or range
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — government
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. staff — employees
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. staff — a stick
  24. scale — in music

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