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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pop — music
  3. race — a contest
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pop — soda
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. race — humankind
  17. pop — to visit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — to go away

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