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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. race — the arms race
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. land — ground
  11. drill — a practice
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — a country
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. land — to come down
  16. drill — army training
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. game — a match
  20. race — a contest
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. game — wild animals
  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