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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. capital — money
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. suit — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a city
  15. race — a contest
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. track — a song
  21. suit — clothes
  22. race — humankind
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cue — for pool

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