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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — a match
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — a path
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. track — to keep track
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cold — an illness
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — a law
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — government
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pound — a weight
  24. game — wild animals

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