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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: bass · kick · bore · clip · degree · calf · rest · perch

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rest — a break
  7. bass — the fish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. perch — the fish
  11. clip — a video
  12. bass — low music
  13. kick — in football
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bore — to drill
  16. clip — to cut
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. clip — for paper
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rest — what's left
  24. perch — for a bird

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