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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · row · calf · chest · race · object

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. degree — an amount
  3. object — a thing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. race — humankind
  7. row — to paddle
  8. degree — from a university
  9. race — a contest
  10. chest — a box
  11. degree — temperature
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body

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