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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. dip — to sink
  3. degree — from a university
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — ground
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. toast — bread
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. present — there
  16. land — to come down
  17. degree — temperature
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. present — the time now
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. degree — an amount
  24. land — a country

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