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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — a box
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. race — humankind
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pop — soda
  12. root — of a word
  13. chest — of your body
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bark — to shout
  19. root — the cause
  20. pop — music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. race — a contest
  24. chest — of your body

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