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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bound — certain
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. clip — a video
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stand — to bear
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. bound — tied together
  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