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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. track — to keep track
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. track — a song
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. net — after costs
  11. race — the arms race
  12. root — the cause
  13. bound — obliged
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. race — humankind
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bound — tied together
  18. root — of a word
  19. track — a path
  20. bound — certain
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. root — of a plant
  23. net — in sport
  24. race — a contest

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