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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. present — there
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. suit — to fit
  10. present — a gift
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. suit — in cards
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. present — the time now
  20. mug — to rob
  21. suit — clothes
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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