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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. race — humankind
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. net — for catching
  6. race — a contest
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — money
  17. rash — hasty
  18. net — in sport
  19. capital — a city
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. race — the arms race
  22. field — farmland
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. net — after costs

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