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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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468
Word bank
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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. object — an aim
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — from a university
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. object — a thing
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rest — a break
  24. object — to protest

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