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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lie — to recline
  4. net — for catching
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — in sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. net — after costs
  12. row — a line
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — humankind
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rush — to hurry

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