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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tear — to rip
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — a contest
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — in sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — humankind
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pass — a permit
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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