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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · game · race · pound · craft · drill

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. 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 — a contest
  2. drill — army training
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — humankind
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. craft — boats
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. drill — the tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. 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