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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rest — what's left
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — happy
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. content — the amount
  24. mine — for digging

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