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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 · field · mate · foot · calf · wind · cap

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. row — a line
  3. cap — of ice
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mate — a friend
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. field — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. field — a subject
  16. row — to paddle
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mate — a partner
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cap — a hat

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