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

Word bank: straw · nail · pit · cap · game · race · calf · wind

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. race — humankind
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cap — a lid
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. race — a contest

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