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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chair — a leader
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kick — in football
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. race — humankind
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. face — to confront
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. race — a contest
  24. calf — a young animal

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