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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ground — crushed
  5. degree — from a university
  6. roll — a list
  7. content — happy
  8. object — a thing
  9. ground — a position
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. content — the amount
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mate — to breed

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