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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fall — to drop
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fall — the season
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. degree — from a university
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chair — a leader

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