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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. date — the fruit
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. march — the month
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. march — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. face — part of the head
  16. season — of the year
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. march — the month
  19. season — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. suit — in cards
  22. degree — from a university
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bowl — a dish

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