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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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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: row · kick · mate · foot · degree · calf · march · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kick — in football
  7. mate — a friend
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. degree — an amount
  13. content — happy
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. march — music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. row — a line
  19. mate — a partner
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. march — the month

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