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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. race — the arms race
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. board — to get on
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. race — a contest
  24. mine — for digging

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