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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cue — a signal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cap — a hat
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cap — of ice
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cue — a hint
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pitch — a sports field

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