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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · cap · ground · calf · hide · bound · race · chair

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mine — for digging
  15. race — humankind
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bound — certain
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — the earth

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