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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ball — a dance
  3. present — there
  4. mine — for digging
  5. present — a gift
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. club — for golf
  16. ball — a great time
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. present — the time now
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. club — a group
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. club — for dancing

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