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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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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: march · degree · bear · root · game · straw · calf · kick

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. game — a match
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — the month
  13. kick — in football
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — an amount
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. march — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. kick — a thrill
  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