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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. snap — to click
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hide — to keep secret

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