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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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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 · hide · arm · bowl · track · calf · kid · row

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. row — to paddle
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. track — a path
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. degree — from a university
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. degree — temperature
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kid — child
  23. track — a song
  24. bowl — a football final

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