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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. march — the month
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — for digging
  13. race — humankind
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stand — to bear
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — music

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