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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bound — certain
  4. degree — an amount
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — from a university
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bound — obliged
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rest — a break
  20. degree — temperature
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bound — tied together

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