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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — to come from
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. last — final
  9. wake — a trail
  10. last — to go on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. last — finally
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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