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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. race — a contest
  3. root — of a word
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. present — a gift
  7. race — humankind
  8. root — the cause
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lean — thin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. present — the time now
  14. root — of a plant
  15. race — the arms race
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pop — soda
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pop — music
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. present — there
  24. calf — a young animal

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