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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rest — what's left
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rest — a break
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. calf — a young animal

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