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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. race — a contest
  4. spring — of water
  5. race — humankind
  6. spring — a coil
  7. march — the month
  8. field — for sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. field — a subject
  11. tear — from crying
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. tear — to rip
  14. race — the arms race
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — music
  18. vault — a safe
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. march — the month
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spring — the season
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. field — farmland

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