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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. track — a song
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — a path
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mine — for digging
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wave — of the sea

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