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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — ground
  4. content — the amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. content — happy
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. drill — a practice
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. drill — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. drill — army training
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bound — certain
  22. object — a thing
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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