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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. root — of a word
  3. object — an aim
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. object — a thing
  6. race — the arms race
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — finally
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. root — the cause
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. root — of a plant
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kick — in football
  21. last — final
  22. net — after costs
  23. race — humankind
  24. last — to go on

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