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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · march · net · row · calf · degree · cue · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cue — a hint
  6. net — for catching
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. net — in sport
  14. degree — from a university
  15. march — the month
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — of the year
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — the month
  23. season — in sport
  24. wind — to turn a key

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