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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: race · straw · stick · fine · temple · sharp · squash · calf

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. fine — all right
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. race — a contest
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fine — high quality

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