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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chest — of your body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chest — a box
  8. scale — in music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. degree — an amount
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chest — of your body
  13. game — a match
  14. cap — a lid
  15. board — to get on
  16. scale — size or range
  17. board — a committee
  18. game — wild animals
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cap — of ice
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. deal — a big deal

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