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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: game · last · bowl · mine · firm · stock · calf · race

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. firm — a company
  11. stock — goods
  12. race — a contest
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. race — humankind
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — finally
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. calf — of the leg

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