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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. march — music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. present — the time now
  15. chest — a box
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your body

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