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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. file — a tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. object — an aim
  13. file — a document
  14. kid — child
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. file — a line of people
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kid — to tease
  24. degree — temperature

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