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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bound — obliged
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stock — shares
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stock — goods
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. net — in sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — certain
  20. snap — to click
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — after costs
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. perch — the fish

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