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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. race — humankind
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. race — the arms race
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — obliged
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. snap — to click

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