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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rest — what's left
  6. object — a thing
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — shares
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stock — goods
  18. last — final
  19. cell — in biology
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. last — finally
  23. cell — a phone
  24. game — a kind of play

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