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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. degree — from a university
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — ground
  7. ball — a great time
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — to come down
  11. drill — army training
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. file — a tool
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. degree — temperature
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — a country
  22. file — a document
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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