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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.

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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: degree · mark · date · rock · bound · net · cold · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bound — obliged
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bound — certain
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. net — in sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. degree — an amount
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rock — music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cold — not warm
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mark — a trace

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