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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. scale — size or range
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pit — a hole
  5. board — to get on
  6. race — the arms race
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spell — magic
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pit — in a race
  18. board — a committee
  19. scale — in music
  20. spell — letters
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. degree — an amount

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