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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. race — humankind
  4. squash — the sport
  5. race — a contest
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. current — happening now
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. current — of water
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. current — electric
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ball — a dance
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. race — the arms race

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