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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. degree — from a university
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. date — the fruit
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bat — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. scale — in music
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — for weighing

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