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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: tear · content · calf · stick · degree · swing · net · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. net — after costs
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. swing — music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. swing — to play on
  10. firm — decided
  11. degree — temperature
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — for catching
  17. content — the amount
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. firm — a company
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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