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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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Word bank
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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: fan · jam · calf · clip · degree · lean · rash · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rash — a series
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. degree — temperature
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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