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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. degree — from a university
  3. kid — child
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. can — a tin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. object — an aim
  10. suit — to fit
  11. kid — to tease
  12. degree — an amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. object — a thing
  15. swing — music
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. suit — in cards
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. degree — temperature
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. row — to paddle

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