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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. 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. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a music group
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — a contest
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. band — a ring
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. scale — size or range
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. race — humankind
  24. 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