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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. drill — a practice
  3. capital — money
  4. hand — help
  5. race — the arms race
  6. drill — army training
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. season — of the year
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. race — humankind
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — in sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lean — to bend

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