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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. last — to go on
  3. root — the cause
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. drill — a practice
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — of a plant
  12. last — finally
  13. root — of a word
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — army training
  16. content — happy
  17. last — final
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — the amount
  24. fan — to cool the air

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