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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. current — happening now
  5. track — to keep track
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — electric
  8. squash — the sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. track — a song
  12. squash — to crush
  13. degree — an amount
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. track — a path
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. degree — temperature
  24. current — of water

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