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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fall — to drop
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. kid — child
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — final
  14. fall — the season
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — finally
  18. kid — to tease

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