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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — to come from
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bark — to shout
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — exactly

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