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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. sharp — clever
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a dance
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ball — a great time
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fork — to eat with

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