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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 · band · race · lash · rest · tube · mate · pitch

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — a container
  9. race — a contest
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. band — a music group
  17. mate — to breed
  18. race — humankind
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. race — the arms race

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