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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — a friend
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. court — of law
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — of a king
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. craft — boats
  14. game — a match
  15. mate — to breed
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. game — wild animals
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — to crush
  24. game — a kind of play

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