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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. spring — the season
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. race — humankind
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cold — not warm
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — of water
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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