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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bat — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bore — to tire

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