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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rest — a break
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to click
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. present — there
  14. bound — certain
  15. race — a contest
  16. present — a gift
  17. bound — obliged
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bound — tied together

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