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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — a signal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. root — of a word
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — the amount
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. content — happy
  24. root — the cause

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