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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. race — humankind
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. pass — a permit
  12. perch — the fish
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — help
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hand — part of the body

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