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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. court — of a king
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of law
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — in a road
  24. dip — to sink

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