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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a match
  4. race — humankind
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. race — a contest
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. craft — boats
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. race — the arms race
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — a skill
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mouse — the animal

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