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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. current — happening now
  3. game — a match
  4. land — to come down
  5. root — the cause
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. game — wild animals
  16. net — after costs
  17. root — of a plant
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. roll — a list
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — ground
  23. calf — a young animal
  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