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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — to shout
  10. staff — a stick
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. degree — an amount
  13. firm — a company
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. firm — decided
  17. staff — employees
  18. ground — crushed
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a dance
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — the month

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