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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. object — to protest
  5. race — a contest
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. object — a thing
  8. race — humankind
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rush — hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. pop — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pop — soda

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