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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: mouse · race · key · season · saw · land · calf · kid

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — child
  3. race — humankind
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — to come down
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. land — a country
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. race — a contest
  16. kid — to tease
  17. key — for a lock
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — ground
  21. key — in music
  22. season — in sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mouse — the animal

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