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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. craft — boats
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. row — a line
  7. degree — temperature
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pit — a hole
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. craft — a skill
  17. lie — to recline
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitch — completely
  24. leaves — to go away

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