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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spring — the season

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