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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: pit · cell · calf · ground · fine · fork · degree · fall

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ground — a position
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fork — in a road
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fine — all right
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. calf — a young animal

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