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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. last — finally
  3. root — the cause
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bore — to tire
  7. vault — a safe
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — ground
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kick — in football
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. land — a country
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. root — of a plant
  22. land — to come down
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. root — of a word

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