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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. staff — employees
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. current — happening now
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. current — electric
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. current — of water
  24. mouse — the 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