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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ground — a position
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. date — the fruit
  24. degree — from a university

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