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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. foot — a measure
  3. can — to be able to
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. can — a tin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. degree — an amount
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. degree — temperature
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. season — in sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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