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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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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: last · calf · degree · pound · shower · bowl · dip · rule

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rule — a law
  6. degree — from a university
  7. last — final
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. shower — rain
  13. rule — government
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. last — finally
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. shower — to wash
  24. dip — a sauce

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