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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 116 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: calf · bay · straw · cold · bowl · degree · rash · tear

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — a series
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. degree — from a university
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. degree — an amount
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tear — from crying
  24. calf — a young animal

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