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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — a position
  8. race — humankind
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pit — in a race
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stand — to bear
  17. file — a tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. pit — a hole
  20. band — a ring
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. band — a music group
  23. shower — rain
  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