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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 120 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — army training
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. fall — the season
  24. face — to confront

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