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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tear — from crying
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. net — after costs
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fine — high quality
  10. net — for catching
  11. race — humankind
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bass — low music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fine — all right
  17. bass — the fish
  18. race — a contest
  19. tear — to rip
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. capital — a big letter

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