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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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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: roll · nail · mate · bound · degree · calf · game · object

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — a match
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — certain
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mate — to breed
  7. object — a thing
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. roll — a cake
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bound — obliged
  18. roll — a list
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mate — a friend
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — temperature

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