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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pop — music
  8. net — after costs
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pop — to visit
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pop — soda
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. degree — from a university
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. scale — in music

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