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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cue — a signal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. degree — temperature
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lean — thin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cap — a lid
  16. degree — from a university
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cue — for pool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — of ice
  24. clip — to cut

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