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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. game — wild animals
  6. band — a music group
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. race — the arms race
  14. game — a match
  15. race — humankind
  16. mate — a partner
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. race — a contest
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a friend
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — in traffic

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