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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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468
Word bank
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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. degree — from a university
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fine — all right
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — temperature
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fine — high quality
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. sharp — clever
  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