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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. key — for a lock
  8. band — a music group
  9. race — a contest
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — in music
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mine — for digging
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. band — a ring
  21. key — the most important part
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. race — humankind
  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