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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — in music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. degree — from a university
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. degree — an amount
  13. key — the most important part
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ball — a dance
  16. key — for a lock
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. shower — to wash
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — rain
  24. kick — in football

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