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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.

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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lean — thin
  9. fork — in a road
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. scale — in music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. present — there
  17. saw — the tool
  18. present — the time now
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. scale — size or range
  24. present — a gift

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