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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — a city
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — money
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — electric
  14. march — music
  15. current — happening now
  16. land — to come down
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. current — of water
  19. content — happy
  20. land — ground
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. land — a country
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — for a hammer

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