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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lie — to recline
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pass — a permit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — to put up with

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