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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. race — humankind
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. race — a contest
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. present — a gift
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. present — there
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. row — a line
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. row — to paddle
  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