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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: pit · kid · calf · present · cell · firm · degree · stand

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — from a university
  3. kid — to tease
  4. present — there
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. firm — decided
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. present — the time now
  17. stand — to bear
  18. firm — a company
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. present — a gift
  21. kid — child
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cell — a phone

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