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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mug — a cup
  4. degree — temperature
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spring — the season
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. degree — an amount
  18. content — the amount
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mug — a face
  22. content — happy
  23. mug — to rob
  24. spring — of water

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