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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. squash — to crush
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mate — to breed
  8. last — finally
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mate — a friend
  11. last — final
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. swing — in golf
  14. last — to go on
  15. race — a contest
  16. swing — music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bass — low music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. race — humankind

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