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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spring — the season
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mate — to breed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. current — happening now
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. current — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. spring — a coil
  19. current — electric
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spring — of water

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