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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. track — a song
  12. race — the arms race
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ground — a position
  18. snap — to click
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ground — the earth
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. race — a contest
  24. track — a path

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