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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spring — of water
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. firm — a company
  9. degree — from a university
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. spring — the season
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bank — for money
  18. firm — steady
  19. bank — for money
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. craft — a skill
  22. firm — decided
  23. craft — boats
  24. chair — a professorship

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