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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: calf · race · rush · squash · mate · band · straw · firm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mate — to breed
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — a contest
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. band — a ring
  16. firm — decided
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. squash — the sport
  19. firm — steady
  20. race — the arms race
  21. band — a music group
  22. race — humankind
  23. firm — a company
  24. calf — a young animal

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