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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. firm — steady
  3. degree — an amount
  4. firm — decided
  5. degree — from a university
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spring — the season
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. firm — a company
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spring — of water
  14. cap — a lid
  15. degree — temperature
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — in football
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cap — a hat
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cap — of ice
  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