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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 120 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. current — electric
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. chest — a box
  12. race — a contest
  13. ball — a dance
  14. current — happening now
  15. race — humankind
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. race — the arms race
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. current — of water
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. squash — the vegetable

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