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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lean — thin
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cue — for pool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wind — moving air
  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