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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a ring
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. content — the amount
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. content — happy
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. deal — to handle
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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