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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. degree — from a university
  4. last — to go on
  5. bank — for money
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — finally
  10. key — in music
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — final
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. degree — temperature
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. band — a music group
  21. degree — an amount
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. band — a ring

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