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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hand — help
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — humankind
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. march — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — a permit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. race — the arms race
  19. scale — in music
  20. mine — for digging
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. race — a contest

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