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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — a short time
  6. object — a thing
  7. race — a contest
  8. march — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. race — humankind
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. spell — magic
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. spell — letters

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