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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. race — a contest
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. key — the most important part
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a match
  10. key — in music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. race — humankind
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. race — the arms race
  19. key — for a lock
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mouse — the 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