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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. degree — from a university
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bound — tied together
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — in sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. net — after costs
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. degree — temperature
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. scale — in music
  19. net — for catching
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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