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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. content — happy
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rule — a law
  19. stem — to come from
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rule — government
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. straw — dry grass

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