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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 120 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: board · wound · calf · drill · chair · wave · race · bat

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. board — to get on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — humankind
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. board — a committee
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chair — a leader

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