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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rule — a law
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. content — happy
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pop — soda
  16. rule — government
  17. land — ground
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pop — music
  22. land — a country
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fan — a supporter

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