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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. club — a group
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. spring — of water
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rash — a series
  8. club — for dancing
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. root — the cause
  14. spring — the season
  15. hand — help
  16. spring — a coil
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. root — of a word
  20. hand — in cards
  21. degree — temperature
  22. club — for golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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