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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. present — the time now
  3. staff — employees
  4. present — a gift
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — final
  9. staff — a stick
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. last — to go on
  14. present — there
  15. can — a tin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mark — a trace
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. degree — temperature

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