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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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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: object · race · calf · ground · kid · bore · scale · toast

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. object — to protest
  4. race — humankind
  5. ground — the earth
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. race — a contest
  8. ground — a position
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. scale — in music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. object — a thing
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. object — an aim
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kid — child

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