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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — completely
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. race — a contest
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. trunk — of a car

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