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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. race — humankind
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a ring
  20. race — a contest
  21. kid — child
  22. band — a music group
  23. fall — the season
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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