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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. roll — a list
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. net — after costs
  9. degree — temperature
  10. shower — rain
  11. degree — an amount
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. net — for catching
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mark — a grade
  20. charge — electricity
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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