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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: mouse · row · calf · wave · rule · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rule — government
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. row — a line
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rule — a law
  18. calf — of the leg

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