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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rule — a law
  8. pop — soda
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. land — ground
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pop — to visit
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. root — of a word
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — government
  23. kick — in football
  24. calf — a young animal

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