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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. race — humankind
  10. tube — a container
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. race — a contest
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — to recline
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. race — the arms race
  24. tube — in a tire

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