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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — of water
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. spring — a coil
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. race — a contest
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ball — a dance
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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