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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pop — soda
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. last — finally
  12. chip — to eat
  13. last — final
  14. chip — for betting
  15. last — to go on
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — music
  19. court — of a king
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. court — of law

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