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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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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 · cell · rock · chair · charge · tear · ball

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cell — a phone
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. charge — in control
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. charge — electricity
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — a price
  18. rock — music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cell — in biology
  23. race — humankind
  24. chair — a professorship

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