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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · root · content · fine · mine · shower · calf · clip

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — rain
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fine — all right
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. root — of a plant
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. clip — to cut
  15. root — of a word
  16. content — the amount
  17. clip — a video
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fine — high quality
  20. key — in music
  21. root — the cause
  22. shower — to wash
  23. key — the most important part
  24. clip — for paper

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