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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: hand · firm · pop · calf · game · spring · race · safe

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. firm — decided
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. firm — a company
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pop — music
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hand — in cards
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. firm — steady
  16. spring — the season
  17. race — humankind
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pop — to visit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — soda
  24. hand — help

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