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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. degree — temperature
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. degree — an amount
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. shower — rain
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. scale — size or range
  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