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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bound — tied together
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. capital — a city
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. snap — to click
  10. degree — from a university
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fine — all right
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — certain
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. calf — of the leg

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