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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cold — not warm
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mark — a trace
  11. branch — a division
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. race — a contest
  18. mark — a grade
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. race — humankind

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