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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. game — a match
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hand — in cards
  9. degree — temperature
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — help
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — the underground
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stand — to bear
  23. game — wild animals
  24. tube — a container

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