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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. degree — temperature
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. track — a path
  17. current — happening now
  18. track — to keep track
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. game — wild animals
  21. current — electric
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. current — 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