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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
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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: firm · race · game · wake · hand · tear · calf · season

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. firm — decided
  5. race — humankind
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — steady
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wake — a trail
  19. firm — a company
  20. game — a match
  21. race — a contest
  22. game — wild animals
  23. season — in sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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