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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bound — tied together
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. content — the amount
  20. last — finally
  21. content — happy
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bound — certain

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