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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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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 · ground · band · squash · sharp · race · can · swing

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. race — humankind
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a music group
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. sharp — clever
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. race — a contest
  9. swing — to play on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — the earth
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. can — to be able to
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ground — a position
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ground — crushed
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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