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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: bowl · calf · hide · capital · degree · mark · arm · fork

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. capital — money
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mark — a trace
  15. degree — an amount
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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