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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. race — humankind
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. race — a contest
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. club — a group
  19. race — the arms race
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pit — a hole
  22. content — the amount
  23. march — music
  24. content — happy

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