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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — child
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. craft — a skill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. race — humankind
  12. spell — magic
  13. race — a contest
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spell — a short time
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. craft — a handicraft

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