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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — final
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — an amount
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — to go on
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. last — finally
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. board — a committee
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. board — to get on
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — from a university

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