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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. present — a gift
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — money
  11. season — of the year
  12. present — the time now
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. degree — from a university
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. current — happening now
  22. season — in sport
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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