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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 120 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 · mug · mine · hide · sharp · firm · court

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mug — a face
  3. firm — steady
  4. mug — to rob
  5. degree — from a university
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. firm — decided
  10. court — for sport
  11. firm — a company
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. court — of law
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. court — of a king

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