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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — an amount
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stand — to bear
  6. degree — temperature
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. degree — from a university
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. shower — rain
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. shower — to wash

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