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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. board — to get on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. net — for catching
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. race — humankind
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. last — final
  20. net — after costs
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — hasty
  23. last — finally
  24. board — a committee

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