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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: track · race · chest · bat · band · calf · board · charge

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. board — to get on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. race — humankind
  7. band — a ring
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a music group
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. race — the arms race
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. track — a song
  23. charge — a price
  24. track — a path

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