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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. capital — money
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. race — humankind
  8. bass — low music
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. charge — in control
  13. tear — to rip
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. race — a contest
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — a city
  21. tear — from crying
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. race — the arms race
  24. calf — a young animal

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