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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — temperature
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. object — a thing
  8. degree — from a university
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. object — an aim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — all right
  17. object — to protest
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. snap — to click
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. row — to paddle

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