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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — a path
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. track — a song
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. kick — in football
  24. perch — for a bird

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