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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — music
  4. race — humankind
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. march — the month
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. race — a contest
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — of your body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — a box
  23. race — the arms race
  24. calf — a young animal

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