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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — in music
  3. race — a contest
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. scale — size or range
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. track — a path
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. race — humankind
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. track — to keep track
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. track — a song

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