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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: march · cell · wound · calf · race · row · cabinet · club

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — in biology
  6. club — for dancing
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. club — a group
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — a phone
  14. club — for golf
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. row — a line
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. race — a contest
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. race — humankind

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