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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. 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. face — part of the head
  2. object — to protest
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. net — after costs
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. object — an aim
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. face — to confront
  16. object — a thing
  17. face — to point toward
  18. net — for catching
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — in sport
  21. lean — to bend
  22. degree — temperature
  23. suit — clothes
  24. 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