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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · calf · root · court · kick · plane · clip · content

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. root — of a word
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. court — of law
  5. content — happy
  6. clip — a video
  7. court — of a king
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. plane — a tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mug — a cup
  15. content — the amount
  16. kick — in football
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — to rob
  22. court — for sport
  23. mug — a face
  24. root — the cause

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