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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. land — ground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pop — music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pop — soda
  18. stock — goods
  19. pop — to visit
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. calf — a young animal

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