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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. object — a thing
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — to visit
  5. deal — to handle
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pop — soda
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. object — an aim
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — a publisher
  14. degree — from a university
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. object — to protest
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. calf — a young animal

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