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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. row — a line
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — money
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bore — to drill
  16. degree — temperature
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bore — to tire
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — in cards
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. row — to paddle

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