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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bulb — for light
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mark — a trace
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. kick — in football
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — rain
  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