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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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