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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: ball · degree · bay · calf · can · clip · wound · chair

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. degree — temperature
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. ball — a dance
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. clip — a video
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chair — a leader
  23. clip — for paper
  24. ball — a round shape

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