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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — an amount
  4. last — finally
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. last — final
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. key — the most important part
  10. degree — from a university
  11. last — to go on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. key — in music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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