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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. land — ground
  3. firm — a company
  4. game — a match
  5. land — to come down
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — steady
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. race — the arms race
  22. land — a country
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — wild animals

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