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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pit — a hole
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rule — government
  5. root — of a plant
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. root — the cause
  13. rule — a law
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. dip — to sink
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. root — of a word
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. dip — to dunk

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