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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. race — the arms race
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. race — a contest
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. drill — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ball — a dance
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. game — a match
  23. race — humankind
  24. foot — the bottom

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