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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. degree — temperature
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. degree — from a university
  13. object — to protest
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — to be able to
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. object — an aim
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. object — a thing

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