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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. degree — from a university
  4. track — a path
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — to recline
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — ground
  22. track — a song
  23. lie — an untruth
  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