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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: toast · club · charge · ground · calf · bat · firm · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ground — crushed
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. firm — steady
  6. club — for dancing
  7. firm — a company
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. race — humankind
  10. ground — a position
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. charge — a price
  15. firm — decided
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. club — a group
  20. bat — the animal
  21. charge — in control
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. club — for golf

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