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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — wild animals
  4. file — a line of people
  5. row — to paddle
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. row — a line
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. file — a document
  11. bank — for money
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. file — a tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a dance
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. degree — from a university
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. game — a match
  24. bank — of a river

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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