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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. clip — to cut
  4. band — a music group
  5. clip — a video
  6. row — to paddle
  7. clip — for paper
  8. row — a line
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fine — all right
  13. race — humankind
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lean — thin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fine — high quality
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lean — to bend

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