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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. degree — an amount
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. deal — to handle
  6. scale — in music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. degree — temperature
  14. scale — size or range
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kick — in football
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ball — a round shape

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