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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. key — the most important part
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. race — humankind
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — for a lock
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. key — in music
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. race — a contest
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spell — magic
  24. bore — to tire

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