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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. club — for golf
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. club — a group
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. key — for a lock
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cell — a phone
  19. key — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cell — in biology
  23. squash — the sport
  24. degree — temperature

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