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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. race — a contest
  10. present — there
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. race — humankind
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. present — a gift
  22. pop — soda
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. race — the arms race

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