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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pass — a permit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. land — to come down
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — the amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — a country
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. trunk — of a tree

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