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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. degree — an amount
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rash — a series
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. race — a contest
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pop — soda
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pop — music
  12. race — humankind
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. face — part of the head
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. face — to confront
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rash — hasty
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hide — to keep secret

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