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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — of a king
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — a contest
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — the arms race
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. scale — in music
  21. rest — a break
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. race — humankind
  24. hide — to keep secret

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