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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 · calf · hand · club · rest · season · can · foot

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rest — a break
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — of the year
  13. club — for golf
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. club — a group
  16. can — a tin
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — an amount
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. can — to be able to

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