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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. march — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. suit — to fit
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. race — a contest
  17. cold — not warm
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. suit — clothes
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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