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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bass — the fish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — finally
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. land — ground
  10. chair — a leader
  11. last — to go on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bass — low music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to click
  20. land — a country
  21. deal — to handle
  22. land — to come down
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. degree — from a university

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