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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. row — to paddle
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tear — to rip
  10. row — a line
  11. tear — from crying
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. squash — to crush
  16. face — to confront
  17. degree — from a university
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. drill — army training
  24. squash — the sport

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