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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — a container
  3. race — humankind
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wound — an injury
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rule — government
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rule — a law
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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