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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: hide · charge · calf · row · bat · race · sharp · tear

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bat — the animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. row — to paddle
  13. charge — a price
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — a contest
  18. sharp — clever
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. charge — electricity
  22. race — humankind
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tear — from crying

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