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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. roll — a cake
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — from a university
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — a country
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. roll — a list
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — ground
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — exactly

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