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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. firm — steady
  5. file — a tool
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. firm — a company
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a document
  16. firm — decided
  17. degree — from a university
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a line of people
  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