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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · degree · deal · calf · patient · key · spell · last

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — final
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. key — for a lock
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — to go on
  7. spell — magic
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — finally
  19. key — in music
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — temperature
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — a short time

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