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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. 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. degree — temperature
  3. club — for golf
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. club — a group
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. club — for dancing
  18. 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