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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. row — to paddle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — a tin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. degree — an amount
  8. firm — decided
  9. degree — temperature
  10. last — final
  11. can — to be able to
  12. firm — steady
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cold — an illness
  19. can — a tin
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. last — to go on
  23. row — a line
  24. calf — of the leg

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