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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. race — the arms race
  3. net — for catching
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. staff — employees
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. file — a document
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. file — a line of people
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bound — certain
  17. net — after costs
  18. race — humankind
  19. bound — tied together
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — in sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bound — obliged

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