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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fine — high quality
  7. degree — from a university
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — magic
  10. field — a subject
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. rock — a stone
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. kick — in football
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. calf — of the leg

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