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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — from a university
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. board — to get on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. degree — temperature
  18. root — of a word
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. root — the cause
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a plant
  23. degree — an amount
  24. chest — a box

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