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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. fine — all right
  2. kid — to tease
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. degree — temperature
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bass — the fish
  18. present — there
  19. kid — child
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bass — low music
  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