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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. net — in sport
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — from a university
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. net — for catching
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. net — after costs
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fine — high quality
  24. date — on the calendar

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