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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 116 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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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. bat — for baseball
  4. degree — an amount
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bear — the animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bulb — of a plant

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