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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. land — a country
  4. degree — an amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fall — the season
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. mark — a trace
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. degree — from a university
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — happy
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — to pay attention

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