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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — ground
  6. lie — to recline
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — a country
  14. season — of the year
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — in sport
  19. object — to protest
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — to come down
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. object — an aim

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