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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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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: stick · ruler · degree · snap · calf · chair · court · deal

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. snap — to click
  6. degree — an amount
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. degree — temperature
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. deal — to handle
  12. court — of a king
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. court — of law
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. court — for sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — a big deal
  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