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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: degree · last · file · lie · court · calf · staff · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — of a king
  9. lie — to recline
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. staff — employees
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of law
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. toast — bread
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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