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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. race — a contest
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — to push
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cell — a phone
  10. press — a publisher
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — to wash
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — rain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. tear — from crying
  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