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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ground — a position
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ground — the earth
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. race — humankind
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. file — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  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