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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. squash — to crush
  7. charge — electricity
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. band — a music group
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cell — in biology
  17. band — a ring
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — humankind
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — in control

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