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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 · capital · plane · sharp · lie · race · squash · cell

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cell — a phone
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — in biology
  12. capital — money
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. capital — a city
  15. race — humankind
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. race — a contest
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cell — in a prison

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