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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. court — for sport
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. court — of law
  8. root — of a word
  9. firm — steady
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. dip — to sink
  14. root — the cause
  15. capital — a city
  16. court — of a king
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. firm — a company
  22. capital — money
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. firm — decided

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