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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 · bowl · calf · march · bulb · pass · kid · row

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — the month
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — the month
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pass — a permit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. march — music
  15. degree — temperature
  16. row — to paddle
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. row — a line
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pass — to succeed

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