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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — rain
  3. mug — to rob
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. spell — a short time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spell — magic
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mug — a face
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fine — all right
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — temperature
  23. calf — of the leg
  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