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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. capital — money
  4. current — of water
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — electric
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. current — happening now
  17. capital — a city
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. race — humankind
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — a list
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — on a roll

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