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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 120 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: safe · bowl · cap · degree · mine · drill · present · calf

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. present — the time now
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. drill — army training
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. drill — a practice
  23. degree — an amount
  24. present — there

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