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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. firm — a company
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. firm — steady
  14. stock — shares
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stock — goods
  17. firm — decided
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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