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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chest — a box
  4. key — for a lock
  5. degree — from a university
  6. key — in music
  7. current — of water
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. current — happening now
  10. bat — the animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. kick — in football
  17. degree — an amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. current — electric
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chest — of your body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kick — with a leg

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