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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. march — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. swing — music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. degree — from a university
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cell — a phone
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mark — a grade

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