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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. degree — temperature
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. court — for sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. kick — in football
  17. craft — boats
  18. court — of a king
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cell — a phone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. court — of law

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