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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. land — a country
  5. row — a line
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lie — to recline
  9. degree — from a university
  10. dip — to sink
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. season — of the year
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — temperature
  17. land — ground
  18. drill — army training
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — to come down

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