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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. ground — crushed
  4. degree — an amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — the month
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — from a university
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — a position
  14. degree — temperature
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — of a word
  17. ground — the earth
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — music

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