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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. net — for catching
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. race — a contest
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — humankind
  18. rock — music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bound — certain
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. net — after costs
  24. race — the arms race

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