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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — an amount
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — electric
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. current — of water
  21. degree — from a university
  22. current — happening now
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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