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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ball — a great time
  12. clip — a video
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fine — all right
  15. rock — a stone
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rock — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. calf — a young animal
  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