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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · scale · clip · degree · object · bat · calf · hide

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. clip — for paper
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. object — an aim
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — letters
  15. clip — a video
  16. spell — magic
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spell — a short time
  19. clip — to cut
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bat — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. object — a thing

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