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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. march — the month
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a ring
  10. race — the arms race
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. race — humankind
  17. drill — army training
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. march — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lie — to recline
  24. drill — the tool

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