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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. present — there
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — a gift
  10. scale — in music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pop — soda
  14. scale — size or range
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pop — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — a tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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