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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — of the year
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pit — in a race
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. net — in sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. degree — temperature
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — after costs
  18. rest — a break
  19. ball — a great time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pit — a hole
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a dance

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