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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — humankind
  4. land — a country
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bulb — for light
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. race — the arms race
  24. land — ground

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