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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. deal — to handle
  4. chair — a leader
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. degree — from a university
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. race — a contest
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rock — to move gently

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