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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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Word bank
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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. perch — the fish
  3. race — a contest
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kid — child
  7. staff — employees
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chair — a leader
  11. race — humankind
  12. bass — low music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. staff — a stick
  20. race — the arms race
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. staff — employees

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