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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. plane — a tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lie — to recline
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — for betting
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. degree — from a university

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