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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. present — there
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rule — a law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — employees
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitch — completely
  14. staff — a stick
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. present — the time now
  17. last — finally
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. last — to go on
  22. present — a gift
  23. rule — government
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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