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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 116 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: calf · capital · branch · degree · last · shower · game · ball

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. last — final
  3. branch — a division
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ball — a dance
  7. degree — an amount
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. shower — rain
  10. ball — a great time
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. shower — to wash
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. game — wild animals
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. game — a match
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. last — finally

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