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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. race — humankind
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. swing — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. rule — government
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bark — to shout
  16. swing — to play on
  17. game — a match
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rule — a law
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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