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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — the time now
  3. degree — from a university
  4. object — an aim
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. object — a thing
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. object — to protest
  18. cell — a phone
  19. present — there
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — a gift
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. degree — temperature

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