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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pit — in a race
  4. race — a contest
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ball — a great time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. degree — an amount
  11. file — a tool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a document
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. file — a line of people
  18. dip — to sink
  19. race — humankind
  20. degree — temperature
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wound — an injury

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