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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. drill — army training
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — temperature
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hand — in cards
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. degree — an amount
  13. squash — to crush
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hand — help
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. drill — a practice

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