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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a line
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — in football
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. chip — to eat
  16. row — to paddle
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — temperature

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