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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — to drop
  5. race — the arms race
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — from a university
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — an amount
  13. swing — music
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wind — moving air
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fall — to drop

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