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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: mark · calf · last · pit · mine · degree · kid · press

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. press — to push
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. last — to go on
  11. press — newspapers
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — to tease
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kid — child
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — final
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mine — for digging

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