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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — a grade
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rest — a break
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. firm — decided
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — a company
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rest — what's left
  24. calf — of the leg

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