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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. degree — temperature
  5. land — ground
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. vault — a safe
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. land — to come down
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. land — a country
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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