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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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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: land · safe · calf · race · wound · lie · chip · degree

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. chip — to eat
  5. lie — to recline
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. land — ground
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. degree — from a university
  20. race — humankind
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. race — a contest
  24. safe — out of danger

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