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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — humankind
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — obliged
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. file — a document
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. race — a contest
  23. bound — certain
  24. wind — moving air

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